Anything's possible in Glasgow's Cultural City

8th October 2013 by Cass Art

That notorious philosopher Rab C. Nesbitt scoffed when his home-town Glasgow became the first UK city to be named European Capital of Culture.

But 23 years on, the head bandage-wearing TV comedy character could be forgiven for re-appraising his original stance.

Around 30,000 people now work in Glasgow's cultural and creative industries amid a diverse and increasingly high-profile art scene.

Nowhere is this cultural impact more apparent than in the city's art galleries and exhibition halls.

Setting a coruscating example is Miller Street's Telfer Gallery. It aims to provide a production and presentation space for creative practitioners. Friday (October 11) brings the Mathew Parkin's One Touch exhibition, which runs until November 3 and examines the potential for interactions with digital culture to confuse the real or apparent authenticity of an individual's taste and desire.

One of central Glasgow's greatest architectural delights is the elegant 18th-century neo-classical building that is home to the Gallery of Modern Art. Cutting-edge international works on display include mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography and installations.

Current exhibitions include Niki de Saint Phalle - The Eric And Jean Cass Gift, a display featuring 13 sculptures which runs until October 27; Ian Hamilton Finlay: Poet Artist Revolutionary (until March 1, 2014); and Living With War: Artists On War And Conflict (until March 9, 2014), which depicts how artists worldwide respond to the impact of hostilities.

King Street's Transmission Gallery is at the hub of Glasgow's cultural renaissance, a place where artists can meet, talk and exhibit. Public Building, which runs until October 26, features new work by artists operating in the livelier, more provocative reaches of performance. These include Phoebe Amis and Hardeep Pandhal.

Scotland's oldest museum is the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow. Founded in 1807, it is one of Scotland's key cultural assets with over 900 paintings. The gallery hosts the world's largest display of James McNeill Whistler's work and the biggest single holding of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's output.

Finally, one for the future and proving that anything is possible, even for artists who have been rebuffed, is The Glasgow Possible. This is a group exhibition in a temporary space, which will reactivate and reanimate projects rejected by the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme Open Fund or Glasgow International 2014. The exhibition occurs during the Commonwealth Games Festival (July 23-August 3).